How 98 Forward’s Antonice Strickland Used PR to Help Mary Sheffield Make Detroit History

“I felt like I could truly have a greater impact if I came back here.” Antonice Strickland’s journey from basketball, to college, to Washington DC, and back home is a story of Black excellence, relationships, and the power of controlling our own narratives. At 98Forward, Antonice helped lead communications and public relations for Mary Sheffield’s historic campaign to become Detroit’s first woman mayor. “We knew it was going to be historic.” The victory carries generational significance: 98Forward founder Georgella Muirhead began her career in Coleman A Young’s administration, Detroit’s first Black mayor. Antonice also reflects on the firm’s work with Michigan Supreme Court Justice Kyra Harris Bolden and why Detroit talent deserves opportunities to tell Detroit stories. “She put the work in. We just helped amplify the story.” From family roots in the Great Migration to helping shape a new chapter in Black Detroit political leadership, Antonice reveals what happens when preparation, community relationships, and cultural understanding meet a historic moment.